WHAT LEARNING LOOKS LIKE AT EKYA
Challenges can indeed turn out to be gifts that bring out the very best in us. With the sudden onset of the global pandemic in early 2020, educators like me found ourselves challenged. We had to replace our traditional in-person teaching methodologies with remote online classes. Despite a tumultuous start, I soon realized that, as an educator at Ekya, I had the responsibility, as well as the means, to make a difference in these challenging, yet formative years of my students.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together,” said the famous artist Van Gogh. I love this line, because it is so true. At Ekya, the classroom culture of sharing good things and affirmations continues to be so nourishing, more so during these tough times! With their beaming faces and sparkling eyes, my students share their daily experiences and express their gratitude to their friends and family for their help. Could there be a more important lesson that they need to learn at such times?
Oftentimes, students face issues that trouble them. We provide an inclusive environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and discussing their problems. Acknowledging that students truly miss the opportunity to talk to and interact with their classmates, as their English teacher, I strive to facilitate meaningful discussions amongst students by putting them into breakout rooms, albeit in an online setting.
The enthusiasm and creativity displayed by students, continues to amaze me. The clarity with which these young minds share their ideas and opinions is so refreshing. The grade 6 students demonstrated this admirably, when I asked them to collaborate and come up with a group presentation on aspects of various sub-genres under Fiction.
As we embark on our journey into 2021, we are confronted with a road that may not be easy to traverse. At Ekya, we are determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with our students and their families, as we overcome the impact that this pandemic has undoubtedly had on our physical and mental health. Looking forward to working together to make 2021 a successful year for our students.
By, Ms. Sudha Ramesh, English Faculty, EITPL
Getting the most out of a parent-teacher interaction
“Education is a shared commitment between dedicated teachers, motivated students and enthusiastic parents with high expectations” - Bob Beauprez
I resonate with this thought and believe that unless and until we educators and parents have a strong partnership with each other, we will not be able to achieve our goal. Our goal is the same - ‘We want to support our children to reach their full potential. This requires a shared commitment and a shared sense of purpose. Our children bridge the gap between us and the parents and thus complete this school-home partnership.
A healthy and positive relationship between the school and parents is imperative not only for the child’s holistic development but it is equally essential for school development. The teaching faculty form the face of the school and what better instrument can there be to foster and nurture this relationship between the home and the school.
A Parent-Teacher Meeting is a great opportunity to initiate this relationship and get it going. The communication between the teacher and parent determines the extent and quality of involvement of the parents in the child’s learning. A two-way communication kept going always helps the teacher and the parent in understanding the child and collaborate in all the efforts taken by both sides to bring out the best in him or her. Thus, a good parent-teacher interaction helps the parent understand where their child stands in both academics and behavioral aspects. They get an opportunity to understand the reasons as to why things are not going the way they are supposed to and collaborate with teachers in arriving at possible solutions. This leads to parents and teachers starting to work as a team or a family to help children achieve and succeed in life.
The student is at the core of everything we do as Educators. The child is the bridge between the school and home. Everyday interactions with parents are great opportunities for us to know what the students have been saying about the school at home and we get to understand what the parents think and feel about what we do. Without such a communication channel both parents and the school will stay totally disconnected.
At Ekya, we are very fortunate to have a very supportive parent body that never fails to appreciate our endeavors and at the same time provides constructive feedback if there are any shortcomings. Feedback always provides us scope for self-reflection, retrospection, and strategizing for improvement. Timely intervention is done and action is taken taking into consideration the feedback from the parents and that aspect has helped us ensure that we provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students. Thus, good feedback is what we look forward to keeping this relationship between us and the home going. It requires listening to others and getting their inputs with an open mind. And this simple technique does help in fostering and nurturing this beautiful relationship between parents and us.
By Ms. Sreepriya Unnikrishnan, Head of School, EJPN
A Note from a Notebook
I don’t like to interrupt people, but as I see, you just got attracted to my autobiography. I know the name of my autobiography looks just like another exciting short story, but let me assure you that you are in for a surprise. Many readers might be grumbling right now about my story, but some are still reading. I am a notebook.
My owner is a girl but I am a boy. I don’t have any name so you can refer to me as a diary\notebook throughout my tale. My owner’s name is Veena [I know it because she wrote it in big letters in front of me] and she writes her heart out in me [ probably because she thinks I am a girl or I am lifeless]. I try hard to cope with all her secrets she writes to me like, ‘Today I fought with my BFF's and I am totally scared of her now because she is the most popular girl in whole 6th grade. Really…. can you cope with this!
I am calming down now. I am going to start my story now. I don’t know where I was made but I was made in some factory. All I can remember is being in a shop with other notebooks like me and we talked so much about our factories and wondered who would buy us. Then Veena bought me when she came to the shop with her mother. She said, “Amma, I want a diary. Please can you get me one?” and her mother said, “Here, take the money and buy one from that shop.” pointing at the shop where I was. So, she came in, chose and bought me. Some of you are thinking that my story ends here, but it doesn’t end right here.
After she bought me and took me home, I got my first glimpse of her house. It was full of home décor and fairy lights. Her room was very neat [ and full of knick-knacks]. She kept me on a shelf [which was full of other kinds of used diaries] on her desk and when she wants to write she takes me out. Sometimes at night, she can’t sleep so she goes to her desk, pulls me out, and starts writing about her sorrows. I know that you are getting quite curious about her entries now so I will show you one of her entries. Look down and you will see it.
Dear Diary,
Today was my first afterschool class. I am learning chess. It’s very confusing and I took some time understanding it. Our teacher was very kind so when I finally understood it, he was very happy. I am starting to like the class and I made a friend in the class. Even though chess class was fun, my day at school was very rough. I have lost my Bff [best friend forever] and I am very nervous now because she is the most popular girl in our class. She may turn against me, if she does then I will be teased every day by the other girls.
See what I mean, I am overloaded with top secrets. One day she took me to her school. There I meet her Bff, [ the person who she fought with] her Bff was the most popular girl in her class. When she was holding me and talking to her Bff the other girls crowded around us and some of them were interrupting her to talk to her Bff. Anyway, I am almost finished with my story because I am going to retire tomorrow. If you want to know why I can tell you. It’s because I have only one more page left in me. The entry I showed you now is the one she made today. If she makes another entry I will be finished and I will retire… so goodbye!
Goodbye, again and thank you for listening to me.
By, Ojasvini Ghosh, Grade 5, EJPN
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